Slide presentation programs are computer programs that enable a user to create, edit, manage, and perform "presentations" on a computer. One example of a popular slide presentation program is Microsoft PowerPoint.RTM., available from Microsoft Corporation, of Redmond, Wash. A slide presentation includes a set of electronic "slides," each slide corresponding to one screen or page of output. An electronic slide may also be converted to a 35 mm slide or overhead transparency and displayed in a standard slide projector or overhead projector. Each slide contains one or more objects, such as text, graphical images, or graphical animation. A slide may also include a sound object that is played when the slide is displayed during a "slide show" performance.
A slide presentation program "performs" a "slide show" by sequentially displaying a series of slides contained within the slide presentation. The slides are displayed on a computer screen or projected onto a separate surface. During a performance of a slide show, a user controls the performance by invoking commands to "advance" to the next slide. A command can be entered using a keyboard, a mouse, or other suitable input device. Alternatively, an author of a slide presentation can include slide "timings" with each slide. A slide timing corresponding to a slide indicates the number of seconds that the slide is displayed before the slide presentation program automatically advances to the next slide. During a performance of a slide show, the slide presentation program automatically advances to the next slide when the existing slide's timing ends.
When creating or editing a slide presentation, an author can manually enter a timing corresponding to each slide by entering a numeric value and associating it with a corresponding slide. Alternatively, an author can "rehearse" a slide show performance. A slide show rehearsal is a special mode of operation, where a slide presentation is performed. During the performance, an author enters commands to advance each slide. The slide presentation program automatically records the timing corresponding to each slide, and saves the recorded slide timings. When a subsequent slide show is performed, the slide presentation program uses the slide timings recorded during the slide show rehearsal.
Typically, while a presenter performs a slide show for a group of people, the presenter provides a spoken narration that accompanies the performance. It may be inconvenient or uneconomical to have the presenter narrate and perform the slide show every time one or more people desire to view the presentation. In a number of situations, an individual may desire to view a slide show when a presenter is not available to provide voice narration. For example, it may be desirable to allow workers to view slide presentations containing training information at their convenience, rather than at a fixed time and location when a presenter is available. Or, a slide presentation can be made available on a large network, such as the Internet, that allows individuals to download the slide presentations and perform slide shows on their local computers. Performing a slide show on a local computer without the accompanying voice narration reduces the effectiveness of the slide presentation as a communication mechanism.
It is desirable to have a mechanism that allows a slide presentation author to automatically record a voice narration corresponding to a set of slides in a slide presentation. Preferably, such a mechanism will record a voice narration during a slide show rehearsal and automatically associate each slide with its corresponding portion of the voice narration. Additionally, a preferable mechanism will automatically play back the voice narration corresponding to each slide during a subsequent slide show performance, and automatically advance the slides according to timings saved during the slide show rehearsal. The present invention is directed to providing such a mechanism.